Yesterday evening, I attended a webinar entitled Boosting Your Brain Power. It was hosted by NOW Foods’ Sue Vileikis and presented by Marcia Zimmerman, “one of the natural product industry’s foremost authorities on nutrition, wellness and human health.”
Just like Dr. Daniel Amen, Marcia Zimmerman’s 45-minute presentation included a recommendation of the brain nutrients you can eat to keep your brain healthy. Here’s Marcia’s list followed by my explanations and food suggestions.
• Phosphatidyl serine (a phospholipid that’s high in several meat organs, fish, and white beans)
• DHA (Docosahexaenoic Acid – an omega-3 polyunsaturate that can be most easily absorbed from cold-water fish oils; can also be found in flaxseeds, flaxseed oil, walnuts, almonds, and dark green leafy vegetables)
• Chromium (a trace mineral and an insulin amplifier that is most available from cereal bran, less available in canned tomatoes and canned pineapple (probably leached from stainless steel vessels used in canning), broccoli, white potatoes, bacon, tea, cocoa, corn chips, and black pepper, and in a lot of supplements)
• Calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc (four of the macrominerals – watch for more on calcium soon)
• B-vitamins (high in potatoes, bananas, lentils, chile peppers, tempeh, liver oil, liver, turkey, tuna, nutritional yeast aka brewer’s yeast, and molasses, according to Wikipedia, or through supplementation)
• Additional B-1, B-6, Folic acid, and B-12
• Antioxidants (the best sources are fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds, or through supplementation)
Best of brain health, naturally,
Nina